


Something Important to Tell You

by InkyCarbuncle (Thunder_Fox)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25670431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunder_Fox/pseuds/InkyCarbuncle
Summary: Snippets of Ignis and Noct's lives together.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 13
Kudos: 70





	Something Important to Tell You

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my WIP folder since January 2019, so I guess I should just post something for once, lol. I love these boys. They give me life.
> 
> No beta. Any mistakes are my own.

“Psst, Iggy.  _ Iggy."  _

A childish sigh came from the future advisor, but not one of long suffering. Noctis was always the chatty, adventurous one. Even at their young age, Ignis was reserved. Shy. Lucky to have someone like Noct, even if he had never had a choice in the matter.

"Iggy!"

"What?" He finally asked quietly, fumbling as he pushed his new glasses up his nose. Too loud, and too boisterous, and Noctis might risk catching the attention of the others.

The same Noctis that beamed, as he always did, clinging to him with his tiny fingers. Ignis adored him. His best, and only friend at this early stage in his life. "I have something important to tell you.” It was whispered to him in a serious voice, while they were set in a playroom amongst the other children, higher up the noble chain than he was. No place that Ignis belonged, but he was Noct’s companion. A friend, he supposed, who’s life had been chosen for him. Not that he ever minded that. The Citadel provided him with the best education, and a future job. Not to mention, Noctis. What more could he ask for? 

At his age, plenty. Like some new books, or toys, or even a telescope! But his uncle constantly reminded him of how lucky he was, and how much he should appreciate what has been offered to him. His uncle wasn't much fun. Not like Noct. Their adventures were the only thing that brightened an otherwise dull day.

Ah, but Noctis had wanted a word with him...

“You're my favorite.”

The admission caught him by surprise, and Ignis went red in the cheeks, secretly pleased by the blatant honesty. All of these noble children, and Noct liked him best. It seemed impossible, and yet- “You cannot simply pick and choose your favorites, Noct. That is not how kings rule.” He gently corrected him. Not that Noctis ever took him seriously when he said things like that. Especially when he couldn't keep a smile from his face. “Besides, I am a lesser noble. Someone here is surely more suited to be your favorite, than I am.”

Noctis just giggled, like Ignis had made some sort of joke. He always ignored the noble children. He complained that they were no fun, or didn’t know how to play games the right way. That not a single one could look at star chart and name a constellation, or play in the dirt without shrieking about getting their shoes dirty. All things considered, Ignis would happily look to Noctis and call him his favorite, if he had to choose. Not only between the other children, but everyone that he knew.

"You're my favorite, too." He replied conspiratorially, handing Noctis one of his crayons. "You want to help?"

Noctis wasn't very good at coloring in the lines in their coloring book, but Ignis couldn't find it in himself to care when the boy crammed himself in next to him to start on the second chocobo in his coloring book.

\---

Years slipped by. After the attack, and the retreat from Tenebrae, Noctis became more soft spoken and distant. He found friendship outside of the Citadel, in a boy named Prompto. Ignis watched from the outside, a new position for him, as Noctis started whispering his secrets in the bubbly blond’s ear, rather than his own. 

Jealousy gripped at his mind at first, tempered by training sessions as he fought to make himself relevant in His Highness’ life again. It had become a goal, sparked by fear of the past, and feelings that he never should have had in the first place. Misunderstood affections. A crush that would pass with time. Or so he told himself. It had to, for the sake of sanity and his career. Not to mention a friendship already strained beyond recognition.

_ You’re my favorite. _

The coiling serpent whispered old lies into his ears now. Or maybe they were forgotten truths, lost to a time when he was nothing more than a friend. Now he was… what? An Advisor? Employed by the crown, to crush the last light out of a dimming friendship? And what could he do, but stand beside him, even as the gap between them grew wider. Ignis knew nothing else, loved no one in quite the way he had come to love Noctis. 

He wanted to stand by his side forever. There may be a divide between them now, but time would right things again. Eventually. He hoped. He had faith in Noctis as the next in line. That he would rise to the challenge of his station, and rule the populace with a kind, yet firm hand.

“What the hell are you doing here?” 

So lost in his thoughts, Ignis had missed the intrusion. He turned at the voice, at the tone. They had been fighting, in the way they do. Again. Not with words, but with empty silences and disapproving looks. Heartache, if anyone ever asked Ignis, but they never did. They only ever asked after Noct, and he was happy to report that he was fine. That everything was fine. Their crumbling relationship didn't matter to the Council, when there were grades and reports that took precedence. 

“Training, Highness. Or has no one informed you that I will be joining the ranks of the Crownsguard?” He asked, genuinely curious, though his expression remained passive. Noctis had stopped asking him about his personal life ages ago. And why should he? They had spent so long now defining themselves separately, it only made sense that they didn't know one another inside out. Noctis had his life, and Ignis had his hobbies, and friends, and secrets. 

Although, truth be told, he knew so much about Noctis. It was his job, but more importantly, his duty as a friend. 

“Why would you  _ do that _ ?” The anger in Noct’s tone was unexpected. As was the wrinkle in his brow, and the set of his jaw. And the ways those bright blue eyes narrowed in their fury, in a way that he had never experienced before. 

Ignis was a little taken aback. He had faced Noct's ire, but never his fury. And for the life of him, he couldn't comprehend what he had done to earn it. “So that I may be useful in the event o-” Before he could finished, Noctis had shoved him, glowering up from under his unruly bangs, and over tired bags under his eyes. “I don’t-” 

Another shove, accompanied by a pained sound, so soft, he almost thought he had dreamed it up. “No, of  _ course _ you don’t understand.” Noctis was angry. It was the most emotion he had shown towards Ignis in a long time, and while he didn’t understand, he revelled in the twisted way it made him feel, even while he straightened his back to hold his ground. “You, and your big, stupid brain better listen, because I have something important to tell you.

“People in the Crownsguard get hurt, Ignis. They  _ die _ . And I can’t-” Noct clenched his fist, gritting his teeth.

“Noct-”

The prince trapped him by the shirt, roping him in. They were so close, Ignis had to swallow down the furious beating of his heart. “Just, shut up, Specs. You better be really damn good at what you do.” Noctis pushed then, and stomped off again, but not before Ignis heard a muffled, “Idiot. Gonna get himself killed.”

He watched his retreating form, with wide eyes, his pulse fluttering in his neck. Now was not the time to wonder how it would feel if Noctis had pinned him to the wall with that fury, and stolen his breath away.

\---

"It's just a scratch, Noctis. No need to fret over it." Ignis hissed softly as the other boy sterilized the wound. They had used up the potions, and foolishly neglected restocking them sooner. His fault. He should have been more diligent. Should have put more thoughts in the what-ifs and the maybes that they potentially faced between towns on the road trip from hell.

But Noctis was alright, and so he would be fine with a little blood drying on his own forearm. 

"You're always like this." Noctis grumbled through tight lips. Always angry, when Ignis wanted only to protect him. He watched, fascinated as that anger smoothed out into something else, wrinkling the Prince's handsome brow. If only he could pick his brain and dissect the secrets held within.

"You know it's not your job, right? To protect me like that? You follow me around out there, like I can't take care of myself."

Another well timed dash of alcohol, and Ignis' wince could be ignored as nothing more than the brief shock of pain. It was more than that, though. Of course it was. He longed to explain himself, and his selfish desires, that burned even brighter after the years of trying to suppress them.

It was always so much more when it came to Noctis.

"His Majesty left you in my care-"

"No." Noctis cut him off sharper, his deep blue eyes laced with rebellion, and a hint of unmasked emotion. One Ignis dared not put a name to, lest he give himself false hope. "No, he asked all of you to stand with me. Not throw your lives away because I'm the prince!" 

And just like that, Noctis deflated, wrapping Ignis' arm in a tight wrap. Too tight, but he couldn’t complain about the way Noct’s touch lingered, gentle and reassuring. It didn't escape his notice that he refused to meet his eyes again. "Just be more careful next time. I don’t want to lose anyone else. Besides, aren't you the one always going off about delays?"

No, that would be Gladio. It had been Ignis back home, but out here, he had entertained the prince's every whim and fancy. The longer they spent in Lucis, the longer he had before he eventually had to let go of his own fantasies. What he wouldn’t give for even a single kiss from those lips. His heart yearned for it, though he knew that it was wishful thinking. That just once would never be enough, and he would wonder what could have been for years. A lifetime. In a different time, maybe. A different life, where there was no power imbalance, or kings, or peace treaties. 

But this was his life, and no matter how romantically interested he might be, his duty first and foremost was to stand beside Noctis as a friend. Ever at his side, wanting only for him to be happy.

"Yes, I suppose I am." He said instead, taking his arm back to roll his sleeve down. Anything to try and erase the gentle touch of fingers on his skin.

Noctis pulled away, then hesitated briefly, that unnamed emotion swimming in beautiful blues again. "Specs, I…” The door to the camper swung open as Prompto swept in, ending any conversation. Noctis startled away, turning to face the new addition. “Never mind. Come on, Prom. Help me grab the bags out of the car so he can rest."

Ignis watched him walk off with Prompto in tow, trying so hard to understand Noct's silences, and that vulnerability in his eyes. "You're still my favorite." He whispered at his retreating form, then steeled himself for the next leg of their journey. 

\---

The train ride had been awkward and tense. Gladio's huffing was getting them nowhere, and Noct's silence was just getting under the Shield's skin. And slipping away from Prompto was-

He knew Prompto meant well, and Gladio was struggling with his fears and emotions, but a minute alone with a Noctis that would listen to him was all he asked. 

And all he feared. 

There was always a risk that he would be asked to stay behind for the good of the group. Their trip through the murky quarry of Fodina Caestino, just outside of Cartanica, was further proof of the burden he had become. 

Prompto continued to act as his guide, though it grated at his nerves more every second. Not Prompto’s fault, but his own pride eating away at him, reminding him of how useless he had become. Up ahead, he could hear Gladio, chastising Noctis for leaving him behind. Again. It wasn't Noct's fault. The weight of all of this was already so heavy on the Chosen King's shoulders. The death of Lunafreya seemed to have been his tipping point. The distant Noctis of their youth had returned.

Swampy water soaked his skin when he tripped over his own foot on the way deeper into the quarry. Prompto squeaked, but he only registered the pained sound coming from Noct's direction. 

And then all hell broke loose. 

There was little he could do, slashing at writhing roots that sprayed water everywhere. Distracting. Disorienting. Useless. He was a liability. 

"How do we kill this thing?!" Prompto screeched. Shots rang out. Then the unmistakable flash of Noctis warping. Gladio's grunts, and the whoosh of air as his great sword cleaved through the empty space. What use was he, a blind man?

"Toxic gas, look out!"

"Ugh, these roots are gross. Slimy."

Roots… gases… Perhaps their foe had a discernible weakness, after all.

Reaching into the aether of Noct's Armiger, he found what he was looking for. Elemental magic, fire, compressed and condensed into a spherical grenade. One he lobbed into the maw of their unseen opponent, causing a catastrophic chain reaction. With a heavy thud, and an acrid scent, heavy as tar, the monster collapsed. 

It was done. The only thing left to do was for Noctis to claim his inheritance. 

And for Ignis to ask for a moment.

"If you don't mind, I would like a word with Noct." There was no need to stress that he wanted privacy. It must have been clear on his damaged face. 

Once the footsteps of their companions fell away, lost to distance, he turned to his prince. Or, made his best effort to, without the use of his vision. For all he knew, he may very well have been facing the opposite direction. "Noctis."

Nothing. He sighed, barreling on as planned. Clumsy in words, as he had been on foot as of late. "I can no longer ignore the severity of my condition. Nor the effects it will have on the party moving forward."

"What? Specs-"

"And so I think it would be prudent if you were to move on without-"

"Whoa, hey. Okay, time out. You're not going anywhere." 

Noctis sounded upset, but of course he would. For all the distance he put between himself and the world, he had the kindest heart. It was how he had won him over in the first place, and why he must leave him behind now. As much as he longed to stay by his side, his risk of injury or death would only hurt Noctis more. "I simply meant to suggest that, should I fall too far behind, the three of you are under no obligation to slow your pace. I would rather not be another burden on your shoulders."

Just like when they had been younger, Ignis was taken aback by the shove. More so do to the fact that he couldn't see it coming. He took a bad step, reaching blindly as his balance shifted, waiting for the impact with the ground. 

It never came. Noctis had latched onto him, preventing his fall. "Shit. Sorry. I forgot. This is just so…"

"I know. But thank you for so graciously proving my point."

"No, Specs. Ignis… Iggy, you can't just… go. You really think we would last more than an hour without you out here?" Noctis sounded sincere. Painfully so, in such a small, broken way.

Following his voice, Ignis brought his hands to Noct's shoulders, giving a squeeze. They were stronger than he remembered, built of lean muscle, and obligations that never should have been his. "I know you can."

"I can't." Was that a sob? "I can't, Ignis. I can't lose you, too. Don't you get it?" Noctis was pleading now, gripping onto his jacket by the collar and shaking like a leaf. "I can't. I just can't."

It was hard to tell if Noctis had collapsed into him, or Ignis had roped his charge in, but there were hot tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt while Noctis wept against him. Ignis cradled his shoulders, and gently carded his fingers through his hair. So soft, and yet nothing like he had always hoped for. His Prince, strong as he was, had finally broken. And for him, of all people.

"You will always have me, Noct. Always." He had been fool, his efforts wasted, and only causing more pain.

\---

"Specs?" He had asked Noctis to lead him to bed. Not because he needed the help, though in actuality he was still lost without his sight, but because Noctis needed to rest. His prince needed to cease his worries over Prompto, and his pain for Lady Lunafreya's death long enough to get some sleep.

So Ignis didn't answer. They had been lying in their bunks, opposite of one another, for well over an hour, and Noctis likely thought him to be sleeping. He wished that were the case. He wished that he couldn't tell that Noctis had been up all along, so that he could stop worrying. 

Across from him, he heard Noct's bed creak, and a watery exhale from him. Then footsteps, and a body slipping into the cramped bed next to him. Ignis moved to accommodate him, shuffling up against the wall, turned to his side to face him. To blindly reach for his face to wipe away the tears he knew he would find there.

"'m sorry." Noctis mumbled, silenced by a gentle shush from his advisor. His friend.

"No worries now, Noctis. I have you." Beside him, Noctis whimpered, curling into Ignis' body. "I have you."

Flashes of the prophecy ignited in his head. The darkness, Noct's death, the eventual returning of the sun, at the cost of a bright eyed boy. Was that the only way? 

There had to be another way.

The shock of lips pressed to his scattered the waking nightmares. The softness of them, mingling with the bitter saltiness of his tears. He had dreamed of this moment countless times, but when he pulled back, it wasn't to bright blue eyes, and shy smiles. It was the same all consuming darkness, and crushing despair. A happy occasion, poisoned by tragedy and desperation. 

"I-Ignis, I'm- I've got something to tell you."

"Shh, Noctis." Another hiccup, and the tears returned. Ignis pulled him in close, resting his chin over the mess of dark hair while Noctis wept in the protection of his embrace. "I know, my love. Me, too."

He pressed a kiss to the crown of his head while Ignis fought his own despair. "Me, too."

\---

The magic of the Crystal swelled around them. Blind though he may be, Ignis marched right on by Ardyn, knowing full well that he was still there. Watching. 

His gloved fingers reached, touching the cold, jagged edges of Noct's cocoon.

"I promise, Noct. I will find a way to stop this. And then, I really do have something important that I just have to tell you."

\---

Dearest Noctis,

I miss you. Your smiling face, and the brief feeling of your lips against mine. We have been too long without you. So much has changed since our departure from the Citadel, and our ill fated adventure. The light of the world has all but faded, while the last of humanity desperately fights, awaiting your return. Rumor of your loss spread quickly, but I have done my best to quell these fears, and with the help of so many, we search for an alternative to your "divine fate". Please, I ask that you maintain the same faith in me that you always have. 

Cor and what remains of the Crownsguard are holding Lestallum as humanity's last line of defense. Gladio and Prompto are helping me with my research, while they can. Iris has been most helpful, as well. I fear that my sight shall never return. I traded it for something infinitely more important than myself, and I have something important I need to tell you when you return. I lost my sight for you, my love. Sacrificed it to the gods, in hope that they may give me a chance to save you from your fate.

I was desperate. I am still desperate. I long, not to touch you, but to hear your voice again. Your laugh. The world wishes to take you from me, and what can I do but stand by and let it? Hopefully I can manage something. 

I love you. I have many regrets, but not telling you sooner will remain the largest until I can promise your safety.

Warmest regards, 

Ignis

The writing was likely sloppy. Worse every day, if he had to guess. But writing a note to Noctis when things got rough kept him grounded, and reminded him of just what they stood to lose should he fail.

\---

"Gladio, listen to me. There may still be a chance to save him." Ignis was tired of pleading on deaf ears. He had finally spelled out everything that he had seen in hopes that he could sway the other two to help him. Blind Ignis. All but useless. 

He didn't have to be. Day after day, he trained his body. On his own, or with his friends. He did what he could to stop their friendship from fracturing further. Anything to get the help that he needed. He collected scars, like one might collect bottle caps, but never slowed.

Out of the two of them, Prompto seemed the most willing to listen. It made sense. Gladio was shouldering a lot of the blame, much like Ignis himself. Putting on the blasted ring hadn't been enough, though he had been willing to give it all up. It shared with him no secrets. Noct's ancestors seemed content to just let him perish, if it meant cleaning up their own mistakes.

"Hey, um, Iggy?" Prompto. Always warning him of his arrival, like he was afraid that Ignis would startle. Before, he might have. His other senses were improving. Picking up the slack, where his lack of vision failed him. "I've been… talking to Gladio. About, you know. Noct. I think he might be starting to come around."

Those words were music to his ears. He had never been happier to hear Prompto speak in his life. "Really?"

"Yeah. I guess he figures you're pretty crazy over him. If you really thought there was a way, you wouldn't be doing all of this."

Crazy about him? What exactly was Prompto trying to imply? And why bother pretending otherwise at this point? "Then let us be on our way. I know the solution is out there somewhere. It is simply a matter of tracking it down."

\---

"He's back!" 

Ignis jumped out of his seat, accustomed to the blindness now. It had been ten long, dark years. Torturous years. He had started to wonder if Noctis would ever return at all. If everything he had been shown, and every dead end and trail he had followed had all been for naught. 

The old truck. He could hear, rumbling it's way down the empty road, swarming with daemons. Noctis was in that truck. One more moment. The engine stopped. Footsteps, and-

"Hey." Ignis' heart leapt into his throat. Ten long years, he had been aching to hear that voice, and there it was. So very characteristically Noctis in his greeting.

The others gathered around, while Ignis patiently awaited his turn. Waited to feel that hand land heavy on his shoulder in an overdue greeting. He very nearly melted beneath his touch, after having waited for so long. 

"Noct." He murmured, raising his hand, before dropping it to his side again. "It has been far too long. We have much to discuss."

"Yeah. We do. But I've got something pretty important to tell you." He could hear Noct's smile in his voice, and in the way his hand squeezed his shoulder. Like he had accepted his fate, and was embracing these final moments. 

"I know. But later. I have something a touch more important to tell you, I believe. If you trust me."

"You know that I do." Though Noctis sounded puzzled, and a little put off by Ignis' dismissal. "But Specs-"

"Please, Noctis. Just hear me out. Then, I swear to you, we can both have something important to say." And, if Noctis remembered that night on the train as well as he did, he thought that he knew exactly what the two of them were going to say. They were words he had waited on for so long. Words he had only heard Noctis whisper to him in his dreams, while he tried desperately to hold back the tears of all the time that they had lost.

Fate was cruel. The gods crueler still. And so he would be wise and crafty in his own way. To save the only man that had ever really mattered to him.

"Come. I think you might like what it is we have to discuss."

\---

Dawn. A beautiful one, if he had to guess. His vision had never returned, so he couldn't gaze upon the glory of the light it offered the world. 

He still felt it was a fair trade. Noctis lay in bed next to him, snoring softly in the early hours. Ignis spoiled him. Everyone said so, so it must be true. In his opinion, they could use a good, long rest after everything that they had been through. 

"I love you." He whispered at his sleeping king, who reached for him, grabbing him around the middle to pull him in for a kiss. Not sleeping at all, it seemed. 

"Yeah? Well, lucky you. I love you, too." The laughter in Noct's tone was music to his ears, and Ignis sank into his arms, letting the morning pass them by as they explored this new chapter of their lives together. 


End file.
